Downloaded on an Android Phone
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
TAKE FREE BANK MOCK TEST NOW Current Affairs December 2018 Loan subsidy for middle-income group extended till March 2020 The Minister for Housing and Urban Affairs, Hardeep Singh Puri said on December 31, 2018, that the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY) loan subsidy for middle-income group has been extended till March 31, 2020. About one lakh beneficiaries have taken benefit of the scheme so far. Under the yojana, around 68.7 lakh houses have been sanctioned, 37 lakh houses have been grounded and 13.5 lakh have been completed and handed over. An investment worth Rs 3.85 lakh crore has been envisaged under the mission. More than Rs 6900 crore interest subsidy on housing loans has been disbursed to over 3.14 lakh beneficiaries of Credit Linked Subsidy Scheme CLSS under Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (Urban). Delhi govt to erect welcome gates at 12 border points The Delhi government has decided to erect „Welcome Gate‟ at 12 border points of the national capital by next year. The welcome gates will be put up at Delhi‘s main border points – Noida, Ghaziabad, Faridabad, Sonipat, Kharkhoda, Bahadurgarh, Badli, Gurugram, Kundli and Gazipur. The new welcome gates are expected to have an attractive look with colourful lights and an inscription reading „Welcome to Delhi‟ on the top. The move is aimed at giving a pleasing look to the commuters entering the capital. The project will be executed by the Delhi Tourism and Transportation Development Corporation (DTTDC). Tuticorin Airport to soon be the 5th International airport in Tamil Nadu Efforts are on to develop Thuthukkudi (Tuticorin) Airport as the fifth international airport in Tamil Nadu. Airport Director N Balasubramaniam revealed on December 31, 2018, that the airport is likely to be declared as an international airport within four years. As the first step, night landing facilities will commence from Thuthukudi by next May. International flights are already being operated from four airports of the state including Chennai, Coimbatore, Madurai, and Trichy. Ujjwala Sanitary Napkin initiative launched by Pradhan The oil marketing companies have launched Ujjwala Sanitary Napkin Initiative, as part of their corporate social responsibility (CSR) in Odisha. According to the data from the National Family Health Survey-4, overall use of sanitary napkins in Odisha is 33.5 percent and only 42.8 percent of rural women between the age of 15 and 24 years use proper hygienic methods of protection during menstruation. Under this initiative, around 100 local manufacturing units will be set up by oil marketing companies at Common Service Centres (CSCs) across 93 blocks in all 30 districts of Odisha. Common Serwww.bwcampus.comvice Centres are physical facilities for delivering Government of India e -Services to rural and remote locations where availability of computers and Internet was negligible or mostly absent. Rajasthan cabinet scraps education criteria for civic poll candidates The new government of Rajasthan has abolished the condition of a minimum educational qualification to contest local body elections. The cabinet also decided on holding the election of mayors and chairman‟sin corporations through the direct system instead of the indirect methods introduced by the previous government. Previously candidates were required to have passed Class X for contesting municipal elections, Class VIII for contesting panchayat polls for the post of a sarpanch, and Class X for contesting Zila Parishad or Panchayat Samitielections. Construction of toilets in their homes as mandatory for contesting polls to the Panchayati Raj institutions in the state A commemorative stamp on Maharaja Suheldev released by Prime Minister PM Narendra Modi released a commemorative stamp on Maharaja Suheldev. He described Maharaja Suheldev as a brave warrior and a hero who inspires the people. Maharaja Suheldev is a semi-legendary king whose references are found somewhere between the boundary of fiction and history. The only surviving historical account of him can be traced to Mirat-i-Masudi, a 17th-century Persian-language historical romance. Maharaja Suheldev is said to have defeated and killed the Ghaznavid general Ghazi Saiyyad Salar Masud at Bahraich, in the early 11th century. One District, One Product Scheme Initiated by Uttar Pradesh Government One District, One Product scheme initiated by Uttar Pradesh Government to encourage indigenous and specialized products and crafts of the state. The scheme aims to capitalize the rich heritage of the Uttar Pradesh by reviving them through modernization and publicisation. Current Affairs December 2018 | 29th & 30th December Cabinet Approves Amendment in POSCO Act, 2012 The Union Cabinet approved amendments to the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, 2012. The changes prescribe stringent punishment, including the death penalty for aggravated penetrative sexual assault of children. Hefty fine would be imposed for not deleting, not destroying child pornographic material or not reporting child pornography. Attempt to inject hormones in children to make them major has been made an aggravated offence under Section 9 of the POCSO Act. The POCSO Act, 2012 was enacted to Protect the Children from Offences of Sexual Assault, Sexual harassment and pornography with due regard for safeguarding the interest and well -being of children 6th International Rice Research Institute Inaugurated The Prime Minister inaugurated 6th International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), South Asia Regional Center (ISARC) to the nation. The Institute is built at the campus of National Seed Research and Training Center (NSRTC) in Varanasi. The One District,www.bwcampus.com One Product Regional Su mmit was held at Deendayal Hastakala Sankul (Trade Facilitation Centre & Crafts Museum) in Varanasi. The first international centre in eastern India is expected to improve crop production, seed quality and the nutritional value of rice. It is expected to play a major role in harnessing and sustaining rice production in the region. The main aim is to double farmers‟ income. All vehicles to come fitted with high security number plates from April 1, 2019 All motor vehicles will come fitted with tamper-proof high-security registration plates (HSRPs) from April 1st, 2019, to protect against counterfeiting. Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari said the proposal to amend the concerned rule in Central Motor Vehicles Rules, 1989 and revision of the HSRP Order, 2001 was placed in the public domain for soliciting objections/suggestions and was discussed in a meeting on June 5, 2018. An HSRP is a chromium-based hologram applied by hot stamping on the number plates both at the front and back beside laser-branding of a permanent identification number. Third registration mark refers to a chromium-based hologram sticker affixed on the inner side of the vehicles‘ windshield which will have the details of registration. Centre Declares Khalistan Liberation Force Banned Organisation The Union government declared the Khalistan Liberation Force (KLF) a banned organization. A Home Ministry order stated the decision was taken under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act 1967 for the outfit‟s alleged involvement in the killing of innocent people and police officers and several bombings on civilian targets in India. KLF was founded in 1986 by Aroor Singh and Sukhvinder Singh Babbar with ―the objective of establishing an independent state of Khalistan by the secession of the state of Punjab from the Republic of India through violent means‖. It is a 40th Organization which is banned under the UAPA. The verdict has been given effect to owing to the efforts by several militant organizations for the revival of militancy in the state of Punjab. The complete ban on Khalistan Liberation Force(KLF) has been brought into effect because of its proven contribution towards the increment in the number of events for extortion, kidnappings, bank robberies and assassination attempts of significant Government functionaries. Three islands in Andaman and Nicobar renamed after Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose Prime Minister Narendra Modi will rename three islands of Andaman and Nicobar after Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose on December 30, 2018. These three islands are – Ross Island, Neil Island and Havelock Island. These islands were renamed during PM Modi‘s visit to Port Blair to mark the 75th Anniversary of the hoisting of the National Flag at Port Blair by freedom fighter Subhash Chandra Bose. Bose had hoisted the flag at Port Blair on December 30, 1943, as he believed that Port Blair was the first territory to be freed from British rule. This was done after the Japanese captured that area during the time of the Second World War. Nepal caps expenditure of its citizens in India-1 Lakh per Month In order to address the country‘s current account deficit, Nepal imposed a monthly limit on the amount of Indian currency its citizen can spend in India while paying for goods and services. With the approval of new restrictions, a Nepali citizen would be unable to spend more than Rs.1 lakh per month while paying for goods and services in India. The policy which came into effect from 25th December 2018 will also be applicable to use of prepaid, credit and debit cards of Nepali banks for purchasing done in Indian Markets. However, the latest measure would exempt payment in hospitals and pharmacies in India. The decisionwww.bwcampus.com was taken to deal with the growing problem of the current account deficit and the balance of payment crisis between India and Nepal. Nepal continues to deal with the after-effects of the demonetization by India. Nepal is yet holding a huge amount of Indian currency that has not been exchanged so far by Delhi, so the latest moves were also aimed at assuring the domestic market that Nepal would remain secure in case India repeated demonetization in the future. On 14th December 2018, Nepal government had formally banned the use of Indian currency notes of Rs 2,000, Rs 500 and Rs 200 denominations in Nepal.